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Venue issues stymy Windies, T&T Red Force practice match

There will be no practice game between the Windies and the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force after the former pointed to its unhappiness over the venue for the match.

The game was slated for the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Couva, but Cricket West Indies asked that the match be moved because the venue had not been approved by the West Indies Players Association for first-class matches.

According to Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president, Azim Bassarath, the other grounds in Couva are not available and so the game had to be cancelled.

A release from the TTCB, said Cricket West Indies had initially approved the match with the understanding that the Brian Lara Cricket Academy would have been the venue, however, the NCC could not be used.

“Roland Holder, CWI Operations Manager wrote to the TTCB’s CEO indicating that CWI is unable to approve the WI team playing at the NCC," read the release.

“The game was agreed on the basis of it being played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) and that WIPA has not approved of our International team playing at the NCC,” it continued.

At the moment, the BLCA is having improvements made to the outfield and the pitch.

The game was supposed to form part of the Windies' preparation for the touring India, which begins on Friday.

The Windies are scheduled to play five One Day Internationals against the visiting Indians, with the first two games at the Queen's Park Oval, the second of which takes place June 25.

The two following games, are slated for the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on June 30 and July 2, with the final match-up heading to Sabina Park in Jamaica on July 6.

There will also be one T20 International between the teams at Sabina Park on July 9.